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Lot Essay
THIS IS ONE OF PERINO'S DRAWINGS FOR THE EMBROIDERIES DECORATING ONE OF THE TWO COPES WHICH HE DESIGNED FOR POPE PAUL III (1534-49). VASARI GIVES A MISLEADING ACCOUNT OF THIS COPE WHICH HE DESCRIBED AS 'OTTO STORIE DI SAN PIERO, TRATTE DAGLI ATTI DEGLI APOSTOLI, LE QUALI FECE IN DISEGNO PERCHè NE FUSSE RICAMATO PER PAPA PAOLO TERZO UN PIOVIALE'. OWING TO THIS PASSAGE IT HAS BEEN LONG BELIEVED THAT PERINO HAD MADE JUST ONE COPE DEPICTING ONLY SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF SAINT PETER.
HOWEVER, SINCE DRAWINGS WITH SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF SAINT PETER AND SAINT PAUL ARE EXTANT, PHILIP POUNCEY AND JOHN GERE RAISED DOUBTS ABOUT THE RELIABILITY OF VASARI'S ACCOUNT AND SUGGESTED THAT PERINO POSSIBLY MADE TWO COPES, P. POUNCEY AND J. GERE, ITALIAN DRAWINSG IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PRINTS AND DRAWINGS IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM: RAPHAEL AND HIS CIRCLE, LONDON, 1962, P. 104.
BERNICE DAVIDSON CONVINCINGLY ARGUED IN A RECENT ARTICLE THAT PERINO DID INDEED DESIGN TWO COPES, ONE WITH SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF SAINT PETER, THE OTHER FROM THAT OF SAINT PAUL'S. THE COPES CAN BE IDENTIFIED WITH THOSE MENTIONED IN AN INVENTORY DRAWN UP FOR POPE PAUL III, LISTING 'THE HUNDREDS OF VESSELS, SACRED VOLUMES, AND VESTMENTS AMASSED IN THE PAPAL SACRISTY'. THE INVENTORY DESCRIBES 'UN PIOVIALE DI BROCCATO D'ORO IN FILI BIANCHI CON UN FRESCIO FIGURATO ET RACCAMATO DI PERLE CON L'HISTORIA DI SAN PIETRO CON L'ARME ET SUPRA [DI PAOLO III]', AND 'UN PIOVIALE DI BROCCATO IN FILO ROSCIO A LETTERE IN SETA NEGRA CON UN FRESCIO FIGURATO CON LE MIRACOLI DI SAN PAOLO...', B. DAVIDSON, OP. CIT., P. 138.
THE COPES HAVE LONG SINCE VANISHED, BUT THEIR APPEARANCE CAN BE PARTIALLY RECONSTRUCTED THROUGH PERINO'S DRAWINGS AND SEVERAL PRINTS. ACCORDING TO BERNICE DAVIDSON, EACH COPE HAD EIGHT COMPOSITIONS, HALF OF WHICH ARE EXTANT.
IN ADDITION TO THE PRESENT SHEET, TWO DRAWINGS RELATED TO THE COPE OF SAINT PETER ARE KNOWN, BOTH IN CADRES BOMBéS, ONE OF SAINT PETER AND SAINT JOHN HEALING THE CRIPPLE AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, AND A MORE FINISHED DRAWING OF THE DONATION OF THE KEYS AT DIJON WHICH CLOSELY FOLLOWS THE COMPOSITION OF THE PRESENT DRAWING, B. DAVIDSON, OP. CIT., FIGS. 1 AND 6. TWO FURTHER COMPOSITIONS ARE KNOWN THROUGH ENGRAVINGS BY GASPARE REVERDINO AFTER LOST DRAWINGS: SAINT PETER WALKING ON WATER AND THE CALLING OF SAINT PETER, B. DAVIDSON, OP. CIT., FIGS. 3 AND 7.
THE DRAWINGS RELATED TO SAINT PAUL'S COPE ARE MORE NUMEROUS AND ALL OVAL IN SHAPE: SAINT PAUL RECOVERING HIS SIGHT AT THE HANDS OF ANANIAS AT THE UFFIZI; SAINT PAUL LOWERED FROM THE WALLS OF DAMASCUS IN A BASKET AT CHATSWORTH; A COPY OF THE CURING OF THE CRIPPLE AT LYSTRA IN THE UFFIZI; TWO VERSIONS OF SAINT PAUL PREACHING AT ATHENS AT THE UFFIZI AND IN ROME, AND SAINT PAUL OVERCOMING THE VIPER AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM, B. DAVIDSON, OP. CIT., FIGS. 8-13.
HOWEVER, SINCE DRAWINGS WITH SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF SAINT PETER AND SAINT PAUL ARE EXTANT, PHILIP POUNCEY AND JOHN GERE RAISED DOUBTS ABOUT THE RELIABILITY OF VASARI'S ACCOUNT AND SUGGESTED THAT PERINO POSSIBLY MADE TWO COPES, P. POUNCEY AND J. GERE, ITALIAN DRAWINSG IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PRINTS AND DRAWINGS IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM: RAPHAEL AND HIS CIRCLE, LONDON, 1962, P. 104.
BERNICE DAVIDSON CONVINCINGLY ARGUED IN A RECENT ARTICLE THAT PERINO DID INDEED DESIGN TWO COPES, ONE WITH SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF SAINT PETER, THE OTHER FROM THAT OF SAINT PAUL'S. THE COPES CAN BE IDENTIFIED WITH THOSE MENTIONED IN AN INVENTORY DRAWN UP FOR POPE PAUL III, LISTING 'THE HUNDREDS OF VESSELS, SACRED VOLUMES, AND VESTMENTS AMASSED IN THE PAPAL SACRISTY'. THE INVENTORY DESCRIBES 'UN PIOVIALE DI BROCCATO D'ORO IN FILI BIANCHI CON UN FRESCIO FIGURATO ET RACCAMATO DI PERLE CON L'HISTORIA DI SAN PIETRO CON L'ARME ET SUPRA [DI PAOLO III]', AND 'UN PIOVIALE DI BROCCATO IN FILO ROSCIO A LETTERE IN SETA NEGRA CON UN FRESCIO FIGURATO CON LE MIRACOLI DI SAN PAOLO...', B. DAVIDSON, OP. CIT., P. 138.
THE COPES HAVE LONG SINCE VANISHED, BUT THEIR APPEARANCE CAN BE PARTIALLY RECONSTRUCTED THROUGH PERINO'S DRAWINGS AND SEVERAL PRINTS. ACCORDING TO BERNICE DAVIDSON, EACH COPE HAD EIGHT COMPOSITIONS, HALF OF WHICH ARE EXTANT.
IN ADDITION TO THE PRESENT SHEET, TWO DRAWINGS RELATED TO THE COPE OF SAINT PETER ARE KNOWN, BOTH IN CADRES BOMBéS, ONE OF SAINT PETER AND SAINT JOHN HEALING THE CRIPPLE AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, AND A MORE FINISHED DRAWING OF THE DONATION OF THE KEYS AT DIJON WHICH CLOSELY FOLLOWS THE COMPOSITION OF THE PRESENT DRAWING, B. DAVIDSON, OP. CIT., FIGS. 1 AND 6. TWO FURTHER COMPOSITIONS ARE KNOWN THROUGH ENGRAVINGS BY GASPARE REVERDINO AFTER LOST DRAWINGS: SAINT PETER WALKING ON WATER AND THE CALLING OF SAINT PETER, B. DAVIDSON, OP. CIT., FIGS. 3 AND 7.
THE DRAWINGS RELATED TO SAINT PAUL'S COPE ARE MORE NUMEROUS AND ALL OVAL IN SHAPE: SAINT PAUL RECOVERING HIS SIGHT AT THE HANDS OF ANANIAS AT THE UFFIZI; SAINT PAUL LOWERED FROM THE WALLS OF DAMASCUS IN A BASKET AT CHATSWORTH; A COPY OF THE CURING OF THE CRIPPLE AT LYSTRA IN THE UFFIZI; TWO VERSIONS OF SAINT PAUL PREACHING AT ATHENS AT THE UFFIZI AND IN ROME, AND SAINT PAUL OVERCOMING THE VIPER AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM, B. DAVIDSON, OP. CIT., FIGS. 8-13.